2012 was the first year under the new ownership of Shahid Khan and new head coach Mike Mularkey, but it wasn’t enough for the team to get out of the AFC South basement. Their 2-14 record was their worst in franchise history. With a disaster of a season behind them, the team will look at a new beginning for 2013. And really, can it get any worse than last year? With that said, there are four players on the Jaguars offense who could still prove to be fantasy football commodities for your squad.

Maurice Jones-Drew

2012 was a forgettable year for MJD and his owners. After staging a holdout, which knocked down his fantasy value going into the regular season, MJD finally showed up to team headquarters right before Week One. However, those owners who took a chance on MJD, even though there was the possibility he’d miss regular season games, didn’t have much to cheer about. MJD was carted off the field against the Raiders in Week Seven with, what turned out to be, a Lisfranc injury. He never came back, thus rendering his holdout meaningless.

What does 2013 hold for the former top-5 fantasy running back? MJD recently stated that he’s feeling no pain in his surgically-repaired left foot, and that he physically feels back to normal. However, owners are still skeptical on his future value. Per his ADP (Average Draft Pick), MJD is ranked as the 14th running back off the board. That puts him at a high-end RB2. It’s really hard to argue against this ranking since he’s coming off major surgery. Not to mention the team did itself no favors by making upgrades in the passing game to take pressure off the running game. Once MJD steps on the field for Week One, he could be facing stacked boxes galore all season. MJD is still a fantasy asset and worth drafting, just don’t overvalue him thinking he will go back to his glory days. To see where MJD ranks in your league, make sure to check out our Customizable Fantasy Football Draft Guide for 2013.

Cecil Shorts

After a quiet rookie season in which he saw a mere two receptions, Shorts burst out onto the fantasy scene in 2012 to the tune of 979 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. Not bad when you consider the team trotted out a combo of Blaine Gabbert and Chad Henne at quarterback. 2013 looks no different as both Gabbert and Henne are vying for the starting job. Currently, Shorts is locked in as the 32nd wide receiver drafted, making him nothing more than a low-end WR3/flex option in standard twelve-team leagues. If he can overcome his recent calf injury, he could wind up outplaying his current ranking. Even with all the question marks surrounding the quarterback position, Shorts will be the team’s go-to receiver.

Marcedes Lewis

It’s been awhile since Lewis had that big 700 yard/10 touchdown season back in 2010, but there are still a scatter of owners who continue to draft him higher than they should in the hopes he gets that mojo back. Even though Jaguars OC Jedd Fisch has promised to get Lewis more involved in the passing game, I don’t see it happening this year. Since that fluke of a season in 2010, Lewis has averaged between 30-33 receiving yards a game with four total touchdowns between 2011 and 2012. While there is a chance he could surpass his ranking as the 31st tight end off the board, he will still be nothing more than a low-end TE2 at the beginning of the regular season.

Justin Blackmon

Blackmon should be the best receiver in the Jaguars’ arsenal, but he’s rapidly squandering his chances at making an impact. He’s currently set to miss the first four games of the season for violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy. He’s also recovering from recent groin surgery, which has caused him to miss training camp so far. Once Blackmon does come back after Week Four, it’s not a given that he will start right away either. If you have a large enough roster where you can draft-and-stash Blackmon for awhile, I’d take a chance. There is still talent there. But if you can only keep a certain amount of players at the receiver position, I’d pass and let someone else deal with the headaches and unknowns Blackmon faces this year.

About Shane Clemons

Shane Clemons came from humble beginnings creating his own Jaguars blog before moving on to SBNation as a featured writer for the Jaguars. He then moved to Bloguin where he briefly covered the AFC South before taking over Bloguin's Jaguars blog. Since the inception of This Given Sunday, Shane has served as an editor for the site, doing his best not to mess up a good thing.